Dacia's history begins in 1966 when it was founded under the name Uzina de Autoturisme Pitești (UAP), but it was only in 1968 that the main Dacia factory was built. For their first car the company decided to acquire the tooling and basic design rights for the Renault 12Renault 12France, 1969 > 19806 versions13 photos, however they ended up producing the Renault 8Renault 8France, 1962 > 19766 versions14 photos under license, which became the Dacia 1100. It was produced from 1968 to 1972 without major style changes and 44,000 units were manufactured.

To the Dacia 1100 followed the 1100S, with a limited number of units produced and the Dacia 1300Dacia 1300 1Romania, 1969 > 20043 versions1 photo which was available in several variants such as standars, 1300L (L for Lux), 1301 Lux Super, 1300 Break (the estate variant) and the 1302, a pick-up.

During the 1980's a lot of prototypes were produced as well as Dacia 1310 variants. In the 1990's an effort was made to refresh Dacia's designs which led to the launch of a new model, the Dacia NovaDacia NovaRomania, 2003 > present, available as a saloon or hatchback, however it still featured a rather outdated design. With the entry of Romania in the European Union all assembly lines were renovated and expanded.